Heart's Black 2 Nuzlocke Run
by Realmofeternity
Summary: 15-year-old Heart is travelling the Unova region as a Pokemon trainer. There's a lot more to it than that...but you'll have to read it to find out what! All the characters/Pokemon are named after characters from my favorite animes, so that should be fun. :D


Heart of Unova

If a Pokémon faints, it is considered dead and must be permanently boxed.

Only one Pokémon can be caught per route/area

The insides/outsides of certain areas (Virbank complex, Pinwheel forest, etc.) count as different areas

Different floors of caves and certain buildings count as different areas

Shiny Pokémon can be caught anywhere, anytime they appear despite this rule

Every Pokémon that is caught must be given a nickname

The theme this time is characters from my favorite animes~! (anyone who can guess who the characters/Pokemon are named after wins fake bonus points!)

It was always a little bit hard for me, growing up. I had lots and lots of siblings, but the older ones, the ones I relied on for guidance, were always leaving. As I grew, I realized that I was the one my younger siblings came to more and more often. They started to rely on me, and when I finally realized it, I became scared. How could I leave them?

In Aspertia City, we're able to leave in order to find jobs by the time we're fifteen. It's a big deal, and it's taken very seriously in the Aspertia City Orphanage. Everyone who leaves each year (which is usually only four or five) is guaranteed a job somewhere, so that's not especially exciting. No, it's the prospect that one of the orphanage's 'graduates' gets a starter Pokémon and a Pokedex from the Professor so they can travel the world doing research for her. The winner is chosen at random.

I wasn't the luckiest person in the world. Well, duh. None of us were. We were all orphans, so luck wasn't even part of our lives. I guess my point is, I had never won anything without putting in an effort for it, so when I heard that the selection was random, I pretty much gave up. My life was about working to get what I deserved, not hoping to get something I wanted.

The day of my 'graduation,' a friend of mine came from in the city to help me pack. Of course, he didn't really help at all. He just stood there, talking, like he always did.

"My mom put in a good word for me to the city council. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be one of the kids form the city to work for the Professor. What's her name? Jasmine? Something like that, I'm sure. I mean, let's face it, I'm one of the better candidates. What with my Oshawott and everything…you know Felix, the one I raised from an egg? With him, I wouldn't even need a starter from her. I'd be set! I'd be all over the place in no time! Taking on gym leaders, catching every Pokémon in sight…it would be awesome. I'd be done in a year, if not sooner…" I loved Maes Hughes like family, but there were times when I really wished he would just shut up.

He was fifteen, just like me, but he'd had a charmed life. His mother and father were the richest people in the city, so he'd been on all kinds of vacations to places I'd only ever seen in textbooks. Just last year, he'd gone all the way to the Hoenn region on vacation. He'd brought back a seashell from Shoal Cave, and a 'meteorite' from Meteor Falls…I was pretty sure it was just a funny-looking rock. He'd always brought things back from his trips for me, though. I wasn't his closest friend, but I was apparently important enough for him to remember. I'd gotten a Torchic doll and a Clamperl necklace out of that trip. I laughed whenever I spotted it in the mirror, thinking back to how Maes had told me that he didn't buy it because he liked me, but because it was the last one on the shelf, it looked lonely, and he sure as hell wasn't going to wear a prissy piece of glass like that himself. I knew better.

I shoved a few more things into my tote and stood, extending the handle on my wheeled backpack, "ready," I told him.

He smiled, "Great! Took you long enough."

We walked out of the orphanage and followed the tree-lined path towards the city. He had his hands shoved into his pockets.

"You excited?" he asked.

"Nervous."

"I'd be excited. You're going to be a Pokémon trainer."

I looked at him, stifling a laugh as he struggled to keep his wild black hair from getting messed up in the wind, "you don't know that."

"Sure I do!"

"How?"

"Because, even if you don't get picked by the Professor, I'll kidnap you and take you along with me."

"Sounds a little harsh…"

"Nah. It wouldn't really be kidnapping. We're friends. We've been friends. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you…ALONG AS BACKUP. I'll…need all the backup I can get. You know. For those Plasma bastards."

I nodded. He'd been hung up over Team Plasma ever since the incident with his sister. It was a common thing for him to talk at me about.

The city was crowded, as I'd expected. The other 'graduates' had already gotten there, and were waiting in the square. The mayor, Mr. Gardner, the headmaster of the orphanage, Mr. Cinderbridge, and some guy I'd never seen before were standing patiently on top of a platform they pulled out for this and other special occasions. When Mr. Cinderbridge saw me, he turned to the Mayor and apparently gave him the OK to start the ceremony.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen of Aspertia City!" He shouted into the microphone, "It's that time of year again! This, the first day November, has for years been the celebration of the founding of our Orphanage! Now, we whisk another group of lucky young men and women out into the world!"

There was that word, lucky. He said that every year, probably in a poor attempt to make us feel better about our situations. Maybe we were lucky to be alive, sure, but...

"We honor our special graduates onto the stage! Please, feel free to leave your things. Just bring your pretty little selves!" I rolled my eyes. The Mayor could be creepy sometimes, and it didn't help that this year's 'graduates' were all girls. Me and my sisters happened to all be turning fifteen this year, three of us having already turned in May, the rest of us were this winter.

"As you all know," Mr. Cinderbridge said, "One of these beautiful young ladies is going to be given the chance of a lifetime! One of them will be chosen at random to become an assistant for Professor Juniper!"

I made my way onto the stage and stood beside Amber. Her deep brown, extremely long hair almost ate me alive as it blew about in the wind. She noticed, eventually, and pinned it pack with a hair tie, smiling guiltily.

"All right! Here we go…the highly anticipated drawing!" he placed his hand into a bowl that Mr. Cinderbridge was holding, and pulled out a small blue piece of paper, "and the winner is…" he took his time reading the slip, letting the suspense build, before finally saying, "…Maple Chernoff!"

The girl next to Amber threw a fit, jumping up and down, driving the boys in the crowd wild as her miniskirt followed suit. She ran up to the Mayor giddily and screamed thanks incomprehensively into the microphone before running off the stage and grabbing her things. She vanished into the crowd with her winning ticket in hand, leaving the rest of us abashed and still standing on the stage.

"…and that is all. Good luck in the city, young ladies!"

I walked off the stage and stood in the crowd of people. Unlike the other 'graduates,' I stayed to watch as Maes was picked, along with one other lucky young lady. She skipped away, giddy as could be, as Maes came up to me.

"Well, I guess this is goodb-"

"Shh," he said, covering my mouth. I was surprised that nobody noticed, "Meet me outside the city. Don't take too long!" he said, before rushing off towards the gate.

"What the…" I shook my head and grabbed my things, rolling my suitcase along behind me. I looked down the whole way, watching the pavement go by. I wandered by the Pokémon center, and watched the man from the ceremony that I didn't know go into the trainer's school next door. I paused for only a moment, wishing that I had gotten a better view, before continuing. I didn't want to keep Maes waiting.

I got to the gate and the keeper almost stopped me. It took him a moment to realize that I was with the group that had, apparently, not left yet on account of me.

"Sorry I kept you all waiting. I was watching to support a friend." I told them. They understood. My sisters all knew I had a friend in Maes.

We went out from the gate onto Route 19 and walked along, the leader of the procession letting loose their Herdier to guard us from wild Pokémon. I didn't see Maes anywhere, and I knew I couldn't keep them waiting for any longer. I stayed at the back of the line, taking in the scenery.

The Herdier stopped for a moment, and growled at a bush before moving on. When I passed the same bush, it rustled, and a hand shot out to pull me inside. A hand covered my mouth, and I kicked and flailed to try and get away. My sisters didn't hear me, and kept on walking. It was like something out of a nightmare. I hoped for the best while expecting the worst, until…

"Hey! Hold still, Heart! It's me!" Maes complained. Immediately, I stopped struggling, and he let me go.

"What was that for?" I demanded.

"To stop you from going to Virbank!" he said, "Why'd you join the group? I told you to meet me out here."

"Yeah but…they were there…and they were waiting for me!"

"Well, you can't go with them."

"Maes, I have to. I wasn't picked! I need to get a job!" I stood, dusted myself off, and went back to my bag, which sat in the middle of the path.

"No you don't. You have a job. You're my assistant!"

I rolled my eyes, "Maes…"

"No, I mean it! As soon as I get some cash, I'll even pay ya! Heart…"

"Brother!"

We both looked down the pathway, back towards the city. There, just outside the gate, was Maes' sister. She'd seen us by the side of the path, and was running to join us.

"No! Elicia, you shouldn't be outside the city!"

"But brother…"

"Go back inside! I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Brother…"

"I'm sure Mom is worried sick over-"

"BROTHER YOU FORGOT THE POKEMON YOU WERE GOING TO GIVE TO YOU GIRLFRIEND SO I BROUGHT IT TO YOU HERE YOU GO HAVE FUN AND MOM SAYS YOU SHOULD MAKE SURE TO CHANGE YOUR UNDERWEAR EVERY OTHER DAY BYE." She screamed, shoving a pack into his hands, hugging him quickly, and running back through the gate.

Maes was speechless. He stood there, for the first time not saying anything.

I laughed, and took the pack from his arms, "This is for me?" I asked him. He nodded, and I opened it to find a single Poke ball and some supplies. I took the shiny red and white orb out and tossed it from hand to hand. I knew I should be going after my sisters, but…the temptation was simply overwhelming.

"Go ahead," he said, finally, "It was supposed to be Elicia's…but she wanted you to have it if you didn't get the position."

"Oh…no, I couldn't…"

"No, really. She doesn't want it, in all honesty. I tried to get the one that she liked, but this is the only one they had in Castelia…so…just press the button."

"It's too much. I couldn't."

"Just let it out, Heart. See if you like it. Press the button."

"Well, of course I'll like it, but it's too big a gift!"

"No it's not. I owe you, anyway. Press the button."

"For WHAT?" I yelled, "I've never given you anything! You've been bringing me things from trips all your life and I've never gotten you a damn thing! Not even for your birthday!"

"Yeah, but you're gonna be my assistant. I owe you for that."

I looked from him to the Poke ball and back. Then, I pressed the button.


End file.
